September 30, 2025
Overview
In 2024, the Civic Federation launched a strategic planning process just three months into President Joe Ferguson’s tenure, with the objective to develop and vision for the organization’s future. The finalized Strategic Plan recommended to diversify the funding strategy to sustain the Federation’s future. A key theme emerged about fundraising from stakeholder insights:
The current funding model is both inextricably linked with the governance structure and relies on membership and a primary annual event. There is an opportunity to develop a diversified funding strategy to drive sustainable growth.
To this, a strategic focus area is to sustain our future by diversifying our fundraising strategy. This requires the exploration of funding strategies, grounded by best practices, beyond what the organization has been doing for over 20 years. The Federation is a legacy organization that values our history, and is now in a position to significantly grow the supporter base to strengthen and scale our research, community engagement, and impact.
Purpose of RFP
The Civic Federation is inviting proposals to advise and develop a long-term development strategy in alignment with the Federation’s Strategic Plan. Our objective is to select a company or individual who most fully meets the requirements identified in this Request for Proposal and can partner with the Civic Federation in the development and launch of a development strategy and assess capacity needs in a time of rapid change and growth.
Scope of Work
The Civic Federation is seeking a company or individual who will advise and develop a long-term development strategy within a 6-9-month period. They will first evaluate the organization’s existing fundraising structure and strategy and then co-develop a long-term strategy and messaging to maximize engagement and revenue growth. The company or individual will work directly with the President, Director of Development, and Development Committee, which is made up by members of the Board of Directors.
A company or individual looking to collaborate with the Civic Federation should also have a working knowledge of Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois philanthropy, major donors, and civic leaders. Having an intimate knowledge of the Chicago and Illinois civic, government, and advocacy ecosystem, ideally with existing relationships and active channels of outreach, is advantageous. The company or individual should be able to quickly learn about Civic Federation research and assess the best ways to gain financial support with key audiences.
Potential Responsibilities and Outputs
- Evaluate the organization’s fundraising structure and processes, including:
- Campaigns
- Annual appeals
- Development materials
- Fundraising events
- Staff capacity
- Leadership engagement
- Systems and software
- Conduct landscape analysis of philanthropic sector relevant to the Federation’s mission and vision, including benchmark against peer organizations
- Identify areas for improvement and growth, including:
- Supporter segmentation
- Supporter solicitation
- Supporter retention
- New revenue streams
- Endowments and planned giving
- Board of Directors participation in fundraising
- Draft 3-5 year development strategic plan
- Co-develop customizable fundraising tools and templates with development staff, including
- Campaigns
- Stewardship plans
- Donor lifecycle management
- Database best practices
- Development materials e.g. prospectus, annual appeals, pledge forms
- Development staff workflows to support long-term fundraising success
- Provide training for staff and Board on fundraising best practices, supporter stewardship, and campaign execution
Requirements and Timeline
If you are interested in working with us, please indicate your interest no later than October 31, 2025 by emailing [email protected]. Your submission should include the following information:
- Pricing structure details (cost per hour, project-based rates, duration of contracts etc.)
- Available start date
- Examples of, or links to past clients and work
- Communication and working style with clients
- Approach or examples of tracking progress and impact based on the Scope of Work
- References (up to 3)
We will work collaboratively with prospective partners to finalize the scope of work and come to a mutually beneficial agreement. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. No phone calls, please.